Magic and Honor
by Lady Khera
Summary: The Ronin transfer to a college in New York, though a new enemy threatens, where they meet 4 witches who have sworn to fight against the same enemy.
1. Prologue

The young woman shook her long hair out of her eyes, the light catching her black hair and reflecting blue and purple highlights. She stood patiently with her head bowed, awaiting her master's acknowledgment.  
  
Mikkos watched her out of the corner of his eye, deliberately making his favorite spy wait in silence. So lovely, he mused, Pity, she would serve me well elsewhere if it weren't for her skills as a spy. He allowed her to stand there a few more moments before speaking, So Tempest my beauty, what information do you have for me?   
  
Tempest cleared her throat, The Ronin are leaving Japan. They go to the American city of New York for a school program.   
  
Oh really? the emperor said to himself.  
  
A dark mist rose up beside Tempest, materializing into the form of a man in his mid-twenties with dark brown hair and ice blue eyes. He bowed to his master and the emperor smiled coldly.  
  
And what news do you bring, Donovan? Mikkos asked him.  
  
Tempest speaks true, the Ronin are coming to New York. A young woman, Sierra, has been chosen to greet the five when they arrive. She is in charge of getting them familiar with the city, the dark-haired warrior replied.  
  
Mikkos clapped his hands together, Excellent! He smiled another cold smile, I believe the time for the New Dynasty to introduce itself to our little warriors. Not only will they suffer for the death of my brother, Talpa, they will find themselves broken and beaten. They will not be able to stand against us. Tempest, Donovan, you may leave. I must make plans for our first attack.   
  
The pair bowed silently. A mist surrounded them both then dissipated, leaving the chamber empty except for the emperor, Mikkos.  
  
~ * ~ * ~  
  
We're being met by a student from New York University named Sierra Alexander. Dean Johnston says he personally selected her to greet us. Rowen said, reading the final letter from the dean concerning their arrival in New York.  
  
We're being greeted by a chick?!?! Kento asked excitedly, All right!! I hope she's a babe.   
  
She's a sophomore and is majoring International Affairs and five different languages, Rowen continued, ignoring him.  
  
Is there any description of what she'll look like? Ryo asked, How are we supposed to know who she is?   
  
Actually, Rowen said, going through the envelope, There's a picture of her in here. I saw it earlier. He pulled out a photo and showed it to each of the guys.  
  
The picture revealed a young woman of about nineteen or twenty with shiny, red-black hair that hung to her waist and emerald green eyes. Her features, set in an oval face, were delicate and her skin was a light tan. Her figure was slim but toned and she was dressed in a pair of shorts and a small t-shirt. She was climbing a rock face, the view behind her breathtaking.  
  
Wow! She's gorgeous, Sage said softly.  
  
She is pretty, Ryo said, And that view's amazing.   
  
Kento whistled, What a babe! I can-not wait to meet her.   
  
Rowen checked his watch, Well, you'll be able to in about three more hours. We'll be arriving in New York at 11:00 in the morning their time.   
  
Kento groaned, Three hours?! I can't wait that long! Then again, I could use some sleep, I'm tired. I hope we can go get some food when we get to New York, I'm already hungry again.   
  
Kento, you just ate all our snack food half an hour ago! Sai exclaimed, I can't believe you're hungry again. He went silent for about two seconds before adding, Then again, it is Kento I'm talking about…of course he's hungry. When is he not?   
  
Exactly, Sage said, laughing. Well, I'm going to get some sleep, too.   
  
The other three agreed that sleep was a good idea and decided to sleep off the rest of the trip. 


	2. Welcome to New York

Sierra sighed as she shifted in her seat for the umpteenth time. "Grrr Jade, I hate airport seats. They're so uncomfortable!"  
  
Jade laughed, her green eyes sparkling, "You've already said that, sis. Just get over it. Why don't you stand up or something."  
  
"Because I don't want to," the older girl replied as she got out of the seat and leaned against the pole next to Jade's chair. She pulled her red- black hair over one shoulder and put it into a single braid, "I hope their flight gets here soo…"  
  
The intercom interrupted her thought, "Flight 153 from Toyama, Japan has now arrived. Passengers will be exiting the plane shortly."  
  
Jade ran her fingers through her shoulder-length black hair, "Speaking of flights."  
  
Sierra nodded, "Gee, you'd think my gift was foresight rather than fire." She watched as the passengers began pouring into the building. Finally the five she was waiting for came off the plane, she recognized them from the pictures that had been given to her by Dean Johnston. "That's them," she said to Jade, "Be right back." She moved over to where the guys stood, Hi, I'm Sierra Alexander. I assume you're the students from Shinshei University?   
  
One of them nodded, a strand of his short blue hair falling into his eyes. He brushed it away with an annoyed look before answering, That's us. I'm Rowen Hashiba. He switched to English, "We all speak English so why don't we just use that. I know I could still use the practice."  
  
"So could I," another added, this one with longer black hair that hung past his shoulders, "We don't get much of an opportunity to use it in Japan." He offered a hand, "Hi. I'm Ryo Sanada."  
  
Sierra took it, "That's fine with me." She motioned to Jade who had just come up next to her, "This is my sister, Jade."  
  
Another of the guys stepped forward. His blond hair hung over one eye, the visible eye was silvery blue in color. Sierra offered her hand and he took it, kissing the back of it, "My name's Sage Date. Nice to meet you Sierra." He flashed a charming smile.  
  
Sierra smiled back softly, "Nice to meet you as well."  
  
"Hi, I'm Kento," a fourth one said. He was slightly chubby and had short hair, darker blue than Rowen's. He pointed to the one next to him, "And this is Sai. Don't mind him, he's kind of shy."  
  
Sai blushed, "I am not Kento."  
  
"Please don't start a fight in the middle of the airport," Sage said.  
  
Sierra laughed. "Okay, we better go get your luggage. Some things have been changed about your living arrangements, I'll explain on the way."  
  
The group of seven headed towards baggage claim, Sierra in the lead. "So what's been changed?" Rowen asked.  
  
"The dorms are overcrowded as it is and Dean Johnston doesn't want y'all to have to suffer the overcrowding. He talked to me about two weeks ago and asked if I could come up with a solution. Just last week, the studio apartment next to ours was vacated. If you don't mind, you'll be staying there at the expense of the school. Mine and Jade's apartment is pretty big, and the one that opened up is bigger than ours. I was asked to talk to you about it and let Dean Johnston know your decision."  
  
The five guys talked it over as they got their baggage. Finally they came to the decision that they'd prefer the studio apartment. "We could definitely use the space," Ryo said. Then to himself he added, "Maybe I could bring White Blaze over from Japan."  
  
Sierra caught his comment and slowed a bit to talk to him. "I take it White Blaze is your cat?" she asked, "He's got to be pretty big if you couldn't bring him with you to the dorms."  
  
Ryo nodded and grinned, "He is pretty big. About the size of a tiger…in fact, he is a tiger."  
  
"You have a pet tiger?!?!" she exclaimed, "Wow! I love tigers, though I can't say I've ever gotten close to one."  
  
"Well, if I can bring him over, you can get as close as you like. He's really nice and I don't think I've ever seen him attack a person other than…nevermind," he stopped short, catching himself, "So what's the first thing we'll get to go do after we get settled in?"  
  
Sierra noticed the abrupt change of subject but didn't comment, "Oh I don't know. If any of you are interested, you can come and do some indoor rock climbing at the school where Jade teaches. There's a great club that my sisters and I go to called the Nightfall, good dancing and good music. Of course there's all the sights around the city that you can go visit. We'll probably go to the Statue of Liberty, it's practically a requirement to visit her when you come to New York for the first time."  
  
"I like the idea of rock climbing," Ryo said, "I saw that picture of you that was sent with our last letter, the view behind you was amazing!"  
  
"Yeah," she replied, "That's up in Maine. Jade's from around there and we go up from time to time to go rock climbing. Do you have any experience with rock climbing?"  
  
"No, not really, but I learn quickly," he said enthusiastically.  
  
"Well, maybe after you've gotten some experience at the school you can come up with us and do some real climbing," Sierra said with a soft laugh.  
  
"Hey!" Jade yelled, "Are you guys coming? These bags aren't getting any lighter."  
  
Sierra grinned at Ryo, "Oh yeah…I have the keys. Last one there's an old lady." She took one of Ryo's bags to even the weight and took off at a run towards the car.  
  
"Hey!" Ryo yelled, "You cheated!" He took off anyways and passed her just before they reached the car.  
  
Sierra dropped her bag and laughed breathlessly, "So I look young for my age." The two of them laughed as the rest of the group gave them strange looks.  
  
Jade took the keys from Sierra and unlocked the Suburban, "Put your stuff in the back and pile in." Everyone took her literally, fighting good- naturedly for seats. The final seating was Jade driving, Rowen in shotgun, Sierra in the middle between Sage and Ryo, and Kento and Sai in the very back.  
  
After about ten minutes, Sierra leaned over and whispered to Ryo, "Is Sage always this shameless a flirt?"  
  
"Always," Ryo whispered back.  
  
Sierra giggled and started to flirt back with Sage. As soon as Jade pulled up to their apartment building, however, Sierra climbed over Ryo's lap and out of the car. Ryo followed her out, laughing silently at the confused look on Sage's face.  
  
~ * ~ * ~  
  
"Wow! This place is huge!" Kento exclaimed, his voice echoing through the empty apartment.  
  
"No kidding," Sage said, "Definite party potential here."  
  
"Where's the furniture?" Sai asked quietly.  
  
"You guys get to go furniture shopping and pick out your own stuff. The cost will be taken care of by NYU but try not to spend too much," Sierra explained.  
  
"Will you be coming with us?" Sage asked, flashing a charming smile at her.  
  
Sierra smiled back, "Yes Sage. I'm basically your guys' baby-sitter until you get settled in." She giggled, "I'm baby-sitting five college guys. What's wrong with this picture?"  
  
"Couldn't tell you for sure sis but I have to get to work," Jade said. "Bye everybody, talk to you later." She took off down the stairs without waiting for any replies.  
  
**Bye sis,** Sierra sent silently, **Talk to you later since I won't be making it to class tonight.**  
  
**Sure thing,** she replied.  
  
"So, everyone ready to go shopping?" Sierra asked. At everyone's nod, she said, "Vamos."  
  
~ * ~ * ~  
  
"Hey, it actually looks like someone lives here now," Kento said six hours and a couple thousand dollars later.  
  
Each of the guys had gotten a futon and a large TV sat in front of a giant, dark gray sofa. Sierra had used some of her extra money to buy groceries, though she didn't tell them that the grocery money was her own and not the school's.  
  
"Are you guys interested in going to the Nightfall tonight? It's a Friday night and that's usually what my sisters and I go do," Sierra said.  
  
"You have sisters?" Sage asked, "What are their names? How old are they? What do they look like?"  
  
Sierra laughed, "You've already met one of them, Jade. My other two are Ariana and Cassidy. Ariana's nineteen. She's a drama queen, she's majoring in it at Pace. She's got chestnut brown hair in ringlets with a blue streak on one side. Cassidy's twenty and she's majoring in medicine at NYU, she's the one that showed me around campus when I first got here. She's got white blond hair and brown eyes. I think she and Sage will get along real well, she's a shameless flirt."  
  
"Wait a sec," Kento said, confused, "Jade's your sister? And these other two don't even sound like they look like you."  
  
"Oh, that's because we're not sisters by blood. Only in souls. We're really close," she explained.  
  
"Oh, okay. I get it now," he replied.  
  
"So do you guys want to go or not? You don't have to, I can understand if you'd like to get some rest after such a busy day."  
  
Sage looked at the others, who nodded. "Sounds like fun," he said.  
  
"Great!" Sierra replied. She checked her watch, "It's 5:30 now. We'll probably be leaving at about 7:30. One of the local bands, Silver Tears, is supposed to be playing tonight. They're really great so we'll want to get there a little early so we have a place to sit."  
  
"Okay," Ryo said.  
  
"All right," Sierra said, "I'm taking off to mine and Jade's place so I can get ready, I'll come back up in about an hour and a half. Bye you guys."  
  
"Bye," they all replied.  
  
Sierra took off downstairs to get ready. 


	3. Playing With Fire

Kento's eyes widened when he opened the door. Sierra stood before him dressed in a plain black skirt with a thigh-high slit on one side, a silver wrap-around shirt that flared slightly at the wrists and fit her like a second skin, and a pair of high-heeled silver sandals. "Wow! You look amazing!" he said, flashing a lopsided grin.  
  
"Thanks Kento," Sierra replied as he let her in. Ryo, Rowen, and Sai were sitting on the couch watching TV. "Where's Sage?" she asked curiously.  
  
"Fixing his hair," Rowen said, looking up. He barely managed to keep from gaping at her, "He'll be out in about another twenty minutes."  
  
"Sounds good, that's about how much time Jade needs to finish getting ready. I talked to Ariana. She's on her way to the Nightfall. Cassidy'll probably be late, she usually is. Takes her forever to get ready."  
  
"Sounds like she and Sage'll get along just fine," Ryo said, grinning.  
  
Sage walked out of the bathroom in time to catch Ryo's comment. "Who and I will get along fine?" he asked curiously.  
  
Sierra smiled innocently, "Oh you'll find out soon enough." She looked at the guys, "Are we ready to go?"  
  
Kento jumped up from his seat on the arm of the couch, "Let's go!"  
  
The group stopped to pick up Jade on their way downstairs. She emerged from the apartment wearing a pair of black, boot-cut silk pants and a short, green t-shirt. "No, I'm not wearing a dress Sierra," Jade said as if in reply to an unspoken question.  
  
Sierra laughed. **Of course not, you wouldn't wear a dress if your life depended on it,** she said silently.  
  
~ * ~ * ~  
  
The Nightfall was already crowded when they got there. **Sissy, where are you?** Sierra sent to Ariana.  
  
**Far left, right in front of the stage,** Ariana's grin was evident in her mind voice, **Close enough to see them and get to the dance floor with relatively little trouble. Hurry up, I'm having to fight people off with the chairs here!**  
  
"Ariana's up next to the stage," Sierra said with a slight giggle. **She said something about having to fight people off with the chairs,** she added to Jade.  
  
Jade laughed, "We better hurry up then."  
  
Ryo looked at the other guys and spoke softly, "Does it seem like they're reading each other's thoughts to you guys?"  
  
The other four nodded. Just before the group was about to make their way through the crowd, a young woman with long, white blond hair rushed up to Sierra and Jade. "Hey guys, sorry I'm late but there was this really good looking guy outside and we got to talking and I lost all track of time."  
  
"Guys," Sierra said with a smile, "This is Cassidy, our other sister. Cassidy, this is Ryo, Rowen, Kento, Sage, and Sai." She indicated each of the guys as she named them. "Let's get to the table Ariana saved for us, she needs some help fighting off table thieves."  
  
The group made it's way through the crowd of people and across the slightly crowded dance floor to an empty table where a small brunette was arguing with a couple of guys about something. As they got closer, they could make out the conversation, the brunette's voice cutting through the noise.  
  
"I do to need this many tables, I have a big group of friends here," the young woman said angrily.  
  
"Come on babes, if they're here then where are they?" one of the guys asked.  
  
Sierra moved to one side of the brunette and Jade to the other. Cassidy stood behind her. "We're right here," Sierra said coldly, motioning to herself, her three sisters, and the five guys, "Now, can we help you out?" The slight emphasis she put on the word "out" made the guys move nervously away, sending dirty looks over their shoulders. Sierra hugged the small brunette, "Hey Ariana, how ya doin'?"  
  
"Just great," Ariana replied, "What took you so long?"  
  
Jade grinned evilly, "Cass showed up and we couldn't get a word in until she ran out of air."  
  
"Hey!" Cassidy exclaimed, "I don't talk that much!"  
  
"Cool it you two," Sierra said. She pulled Ariana in front of her and introduced her to the guys. "Looks like they're ready to start," she said, looking towards the stage.  
  
Everyone sat down to enjoy the show. Kento's eyes widened when he saw the lead singer. She was the only female in the group and she was absolutely gorgeous. Her hair was dark purple and it was cut at a sharp angle, extremely short in the back, the front hung to her chin with two dark blue locks that hung down past her shoulders and framed her face. Her smoky blue eyes were large and guileless and her voice was innocent yet seductive at the same time. She was wearing a short black dress that flared around her hips. "I have got to meet her! " Kento thought to himself, "She is absolutely perfect! "  
  
After a couple of sets, the band took a break to get drinks and relax while a DJ took over the music. Those people that had been sitting in their seats during the band's performance were now up and dancing. Cassidy had noticed Kento's admiration of the group's lead singer so she leaned over and whispered to him, "Her name's Cheyenne. I can introduce you to her if you want."  
  
"Really?! You mean you know her!?!" Kento exclaimed, "Wow! I'd love to meet her."  
  
Cassidy smiled, "Okay let's go." She turned to the others, "We'll be back, I'm going to go introduce Kento to Cheyenne. We'll be back before the next set." The two got up and left, heading towards the bar where a few of the band members, including Cheyenne, were talking with some of the people.  
  
~ * ~ * ~  
  
"Hey," a slightly deep and seductive voice said from behind Sierra.  
  
The young woman turned and found herself staring into the dark eyes of a man she had never met before. "Hello, can I help you?" she asked.  
  
The man had an aristocratic face, angular and finely chiseled. His eyes were dark, almost black, and his white-blonde hair hung in a low ponytail to his waist. He smiled softly, "I saw you during the show and couldn't resist the urge to come over and ask you to dance."  
  
Sierra smiled sweetly, "I'd love to. My name's Sierra." She stood up and offered him her hand.  
  
Instead of shaking it, however, he brought her hand to his lips and kissed it gently, "My name is Alexander." He gestured to the dance floor, "Shall we?"  
  
Sierra nodded. Not letting her hand go, Alex led her onto the dance floor where a swing song by the Brian Setzer Orchestra was just starting. "Do you know how to swing?" Sierra asked.  
  
In answer, Alex pulled her right into a fast-paced swing dance that looked much easier than it was. Sierra laughed breathlessly as he spun her around, his hands on her waist to help her balance. Few people she had met here at the Nightfall knew how to do the complicated routine, and even fewer still had the stamina to last through the entire song. Sierra noticed that the dance floor had been emptied to allow her and Alex more room in which to move around. By the end of the dance, both struggled to catch their breaths but were laughing pleasantly. The crowd that had been watching the pair applauded enthusiastically and began dancing to the slow song that had come on following the swing.  
  
"Another dance?" Alex asked, though the two had already begun to dance. They were leaning against each other slightly, allowing each other to rest as they moved to the music.  
  
"Wow! What an amazing dancer! " Sierra thought to herself as she swayed with him to the music. She let her head rest on his shoulder until the song ended. The two parted reluctantly, though another slow song had started. She looked up at Alex, "It was nice meeting you Alex. We'll have to dance again sometime."  
  
"Oh yes. We must," he said seductively, "Listen, would you like to go out sometime, Sierra?"  
  
Sierra smiled softly but shook her head, "Not now. I hardly know you and I don't go out with guys until I get to know them." She grinned, "However, I wouldn't mind dancing with you if we meet again here sometime."  
  
Alex's eyes widened slightly at her refusal but he smiled, forcing it to look understanding. "That's okay. It's a deal, we'll dance again when next we meet."  
  
Ryo approached somewhat shyly, "Sierra, I was wondering if you would like to dance."  
  
Sierra smiled, "Sure Ryo. Like I said, it was nice meeting you Alex." He bowed slightly and began dancing with another young woman as Sierra and Ryo joined together.  
  
"Wow, you're a great dancer Sierra!" Ryo exclaimed softly.  
  
"Thanks Ryo, I love to swing but there aren't very many people who know how to do it. Even then, the dance Alex and I were doing was an extremely difficult one and not many people can keep up the pace throughout the song," Sierra replied, "Actually, I just love to dance. I like to sing, too, but I don't do that very often. I'm kinda shy about it."  
  
"You? Shy?" Ryo asked, "I can't picture you being shy. It goes against everything that I've seen of you so far."  
  
"You'd be amazed at how different I can be at times," was all she said in reply.  
  
Alex watched the Wildfire ronin and that amazing woman, Sierra, dance together. "I can't believe she turned me down! No woman has ever turned me down in all my life," he thought to himself. His amazement quickly turned to determination, "She will be mine. I will win her for myself and that little ronin won't be able to do anything to keep her." He spun his current dance partner, a pretty little blonde whose thoughts were so stuck on whether or not she looked good that it made Alex sick. Unwilling to be completely rude to her, or any woman for that matter, he escorted her off the dance floor claiming he had to get going.  
  
~Tao,~ a familiar voice broke through his thoughts, ~I want you back here to tell me what you have learned about the Ronin.~  
  
~Yes Emperor Mikkos, I am on my way master,~ Tao/Alex sent in reply. "Well, at least it wasn't a total lie when I said I had to go," he thought to himself. He took one last look at the young woman who had managed to catch his interest before leaving. An unfamiliar feeling went through him when he saw her laughing with Wildfire. Although he wasn't aware of it, that feeling was jealousy.  
  
~ * ~ * ~  
  
Since the club was in a relatively safe part of the city, the group had chosen to park some distance away from the building in order to enjoy the pleasantly warm spring evening. As they walked along the sidewalk, the group of ten talked and joked around cheerfully. Cheyenne had taken a strong interest in Kento and the two had been nearly inseparable when Chey wasn't up on stage singing.  
  
Sierra smiled as she watched the two talking together in front of her and Ryo. Though her thoughts were focused on Alex, she took the time to congratulate Cassidy silently on her matchmaking skills.  
  
Cheyenne hugged Kento and kissed him quickly on the cheek before climbing into her brother's truck that had pulled up alongside the group. "I have to get going. I hope to see you again soon Kento," she said softly.  
  
Kento grinned, "Count in it, Chey. Talk to you later."  
  
"Bye."  
  
**Why thank you Miss Sierra. I think you and Ryo would make a good match as well,** she replied.  
  
**No, I don't think so. I mean, don't get me wrong, he is quite good- looking but I can't seem to get Alex out of my head.**  
  
**Ah, is that the gorgeous guy you were dancing with after the first set?** Ariana asked, joining into the conversation.  
  
Sierra blushed slightly and Cassidy and Ariana laughed. **Yes, that he is. I can't explain. He's got these amazing eyes. They're dark, almost black, and extremely seductive. I mean, he is sexy!** she admitted. Suddenly, she felt an evil presence nearby, not the presence of a mugger or anything but a true evil. She shivered but didn't say anything.  
  
Ryo, who had been walking next to Sierra trying to figure out why Cassidy and Ariana were looking at her slyly and laughing, noticed her shiver. "Are you cold?" he asked quietly.  
  
Sierra looked at him and shook her head. "No, just got a chill, that's all. I'm fine."  
  
Ryo saw the nervousness and the beginnings of fear in her eyes, "Are you sure?"  
  
Sierra nodded, but she gasped when a large number of dark figures emerged from the alleyways around them and all of the lights went out, leaving the street in complete darkness. The guys formed a protective circle around the four sisters, though none of them were able to see anything in the pitch blackness.  
  
**I don't like this,** Sierra sent to her sisters, **My empathy is telling me that these people are truly evil. We have to do something before the guys get hurt trying to protect us.**  
  
**You don't mean for us to reveal our powers do you?** Jade asked, always the voice of logic.  
  
**I don't see how we have a choice,** Sierra said. Her reasoning was strengthened when one of the guys gasped in pain at an unseen attack. **Before we can fight, we need to see. I'll take care of that. Jade, you can handle just about anything that comes at you. Ariana, just use what you know and try not to tire yourself. If you need help, call out. Cassidy, keep yourself safe, we may need you when this is over.** When silent affirmations came from all three, Sierra began to focus her concentration inward. She envisioned the flame of a candle, sparking into life and growing steadily brighter. The vision she formed began to take shape in the palm of her turned up hand, growing brighter as she put more energy into creating the illusionary flame. "Remember Sierra," she thought to herself, "This fire is not meant to burn, it is only to give light. Don't let it grow hot or you'll burn yourself like last time."  
  
The guys turned in surprise as they began to see light coming from behind them. All of them stared in shock when they saw Sierra holding a flame in the palm of her hand. ~Don't just sit and stare! Something wants us hurt.~  
  
Rowen falling to one knee from a blow from behind turned their attention back to the fight at hand. The remaining four guys launched into battle with the dark figures which they now realized were a different form of the Dynasty soldiers they had fought before. After recovering from the blow to the back of his knee, Rowen also joined in the fighting.  
  
Although all five were fighting bravely, they were still getting beat by the soldiers. ~We need to call upon our sub-armors,~ Ryo said silently, using the link they shared through their armor orbs.  
  
~And let the girls find out who we are?~ Sai asked uncertainly, ~How do we know we can trust them?~  
  
~They've revealed their secret to us, I think we can reveal our secret to them. They need our help,~ Sage said, agreeing with Ryo.  
  
~Let's do it!~ Kento exclaimed, ~ I don't want to get my butt kicked by these empty tin cans.~ "Armor of Hard Rock! Dao Gi!!"  
  
"Armor of Strata! Dao Inochi!!"  
  
"Armor of Halo! Dao Chi!!"  
  
"Armor of Torrent! Dao Shin!!"  
  
"Armor of Wildfire! Dao Jin!"  
  
A quick burst of light and the sisters found all five of the guys standing before them in sub armor. **Wow! Did you guys feel that power?** Cassidy asked the other three in amazement.  
  
**I never would have guessed they had such power. It was well hidden,** Sierra replied, **Those sub armors certainly seem useful though. Look how quickly they move and how strongly they fight.**  
  
Ariana voiced in with mock timidity, **Should we help them or not?**  
  
Sierra laughed, **Gee, I dunno. Ari, work with Sai, I can sense his affinity with water, help Rowen as well. Jade, you take Kento and Sage, Kento's got a link with the earth. I'll take Ryo, he and I will work well with fire I think. Remember, watch their backs but don't get caught up in the fight, you still need to learn offensive magics.**  
  
**I'll be ready for any quick healing that needs to be done. I'm gonna need someone to watch my back while I focus,** Cassidy said.  
  
**I'll keep you safe too Cass,** Sierra said. She called forth true fire to blast away a soldier that was moving up behind Ryo. ~Watch your back Ryo,~ she sent, using her strong telepathy to speak to him. His eyes widened but he nodded and continued to fight.  
  
Using the water in a few nearby puddles on the street, Ariana knocked two of the evil fighters into the brick wall of one of the buildings hard enough that their armor broke apart on impact. The armors fell to the ground, a dark mist rising from them. "Be careful Rowen, Sai," she called to the two warriors.  
  
Meanwhile, nearly twenty of the soldiers were surrounding Kento and Sage, pressing in on them. ~Man, these guys are tougher to beat than I remember!~ Kento sent to the other guys.  
  
~I was thinking that myself but I wasn't sure if it was just my imagination,~ Sage replied, knocking away a soldier that got closer than he liked.  
  
Suddenly, the ground beneath the soldiers grew rocky and uneven, continuing to shift beneath their feet. The soldiers began to struggle to keep their balance and Kento and Sage pressed their advantage. ~These girls are amazing!~ Sage said, catching a glimpse of Jade nearby, an intense look of concentration on the young woman's face.  
  
~Why thank you,~ Sierra's voice rang in his mind, ~We do try.~ She winked at the surprised look on Sage's face and went back to her magic.  
  
All of a sudden, the dynasty soldiers disappeared. The lone sound of someone applauding in a bored manner broke the silence of the street. "Bravo, bravo," said a lazily arrogant voice, "You have barely managed to defeat our weakest fighters."  
  
"Barely?!?!" Kento cried indignantly, "We were kicking ass!"  
  
A figure detached itself from the shadows. The man was dressed in light black armor and a black cape flowed out behind him. The black contrasted sharply with his long, white hair hanging loosely out of his black helmet. "Allow me to introduce myself." He executed a mocking little bow, "My name is Tao. I am a warlord for the Emperor Mikkos of the New Dynasty. You may recall my emperor's younger brother, Talpa. Let me assure you that Mikkos is nowhere near as weak as his brother. When he is through toying with you, you will be crushed and Mikkos will take power over both realms." His eyes focused on Wildfire, narrowing angrily. "So you think you can cut in on the woman I choose for myself? " he thought to himself, "You will learn better manners."  
  
Sierra sensed the anger in the stranger, she also realized that it was directed toward Ryo. When she felt Tao focus his energy for an attack, she tensed in anticipation. Just before he released his attack, Sierra threw herself in front of Ryo, calling up a shield to protect them both from the blast of lightning. She immediately answered back with a fire blast of her own.  
  
The warlord deflected the blast easily. His eyes, hidden in the shadows created by his helmet, widened in surprise when he recognized Sierra. "So the little beauty has Gifts," he thought to himself, "All the more challenging a conquest she will be. Quite an interesting turn of events. I must go and think on this new revelation." ~Emperor,~ he called silently, ~I have done as you asked and tested the Ronin. They have no Gifts other than what their armor gives them. They are weak with their compassion for others. I believe that will be the best way to lure them into a battle.~  
  
~Well done,~ was the emperor's distracted reply, ~You may return to the Netherworld.~  
  
~Yes my lord,~ Tao replied. "I am through with you for now," he said nonchalantly to the nine standing before him, "I shall return to take care of you." With that, he faded back into the shadows and disappeared. 


	4. Joining Forces

"We're witches; it's as easy as that," Sierra explained later that night as the group sat around on the giant array of cushions that served as the couch of her and Jade's apartment. "My powers are illusion, shielding, telepathy, and some empathy. The telepathy is what allowed me to speak in your guys' minds. My strongest power is fire. I can create it out of thin air and, combined with my gift of illusions, I can do what I did tonight and create a light of false fire. That's why I was working with you, Ryo. Your armor is linked with fire, and my gift works strongest when paired up with other forms of fire magic. Ariana's gift is controlling water. Unlike myself, she can't pull water out of thin air, however, she can use any available water source and increase the amount that is there. And believe me, there is always some type of water source nearby."  
  
"Sierra had us pair up with those of you whose powers best matched our own. With her fire gift as well as her shielding, she made herself responsible for Ryo and Cassidy. Cass is our resident healer. Her gift is strong and it comes to her naturally," Jade said, glancing at Cassidy, "I personally think that's one of the reasons she's studying to be a doctor." Cassidy nodded. Jade looked at Sage, "I was paired with you and Kento because of my gift of controlling the earth."  
  
"Exactly," Sierra said, "If this Tao is as serious as my instincts tell me, I'd like to have each of us whose powers match to work together and strengthen our combative abilities."  
  
Ryo looked at each of the people in the room, a serious expression on his face, "Oh, don't doubt that this threat is serious. We defeated Talpa about four years ago and the revelation that he has a brother with the same intentions doesn't come as much of a surprise. The hunger for power must run in the family." He looked at the other four guys, ~Do any of you object to working with them to increase our fighting abilities? I, personally, think it's a good idea. I get the feeling that Sierra taught the other girls how to use their gifts independently. I believe they are the perfect people to help us win this war…and I'm afraid we may need their help. Our new enemy is powerful, perhaps more so than Talpa himself was.~  
  
~I have no objections whatsoever to working with these four, not only are they beautiful, but they are absolutely amazing,~ Sage said in reply.  
  
~Be serious Sage. This isn't an opportunity for you to flirt with them,~ Rowen said seriously, ~I agree with Ryo. We are going to need help with this Mikkos guy. They seem to be it and they are willing to work with us in this fight.~  
  
~You may be right about our needing their help,~ Sai interjected, ~but I don't want to drag any more innocent people into this fight. It is our responsibility to keep Mikkos from gaining power, but these four have no idea what they're getting into.~  
  
Sierra, who had been trying hard not to overhear their silent conversation, caught Sai's last remark. "I hate having this gift sometimes. It's wrong to be eavesdropping in private conversations even if I'm not doing it deliberately," she thought to herself. She sighed inwardly, "Oh well." ~I hate to interrupt you guys and I really didn't mean to eavesdrop, but I overheard Sai's remark and feel that I should reply to it.~  
  
Each of the guys looked startled and a bit guilty. "Go ahead Sierra. We didn't mean to talk about you ladies behind your backs," Sai said, blushing a little.  
  
Sierra smiled knowingly, "That's okay, I don't mind. We'll probably do the same thing from time to time. While we may not know all the details, we are aware of what we're getting ourselves into. When the four of us became sisters in magic, we took an oath to use our Gifts for good whenever possible. An evil emperor with magic users among his legions who desires world conquest presents a very real evil that must be taken care of. Our abilities as magic users will be useful against this new enemy, who is not only yours, but all the world's as well." She fixed each of the guys with a determined stare, "Whether you like it or not, we're helping you in this fight. With all of us in agreement about working together, we will be much stronger."  
  
"She's right," Ariana said firmly, "The four of us are not going to let you keep us out of all the fun. We're honor-bound by our own morals to help destroy this Mikkos, and not one of you is going to change our minds."  
  
"Okay, fine with me," Sage said eagerly, flashing a brilliant smile at the girls.  
  
**You two would be so perfect for each other,** Sierra heart sent to Cassidy, her mind voice tinged with amusement, **You both flirt shamelessly with the opposite sex.**  
  
Cassidy grinned innocently but didn't say a word.  
  
Ryo spoke up, "We have a week long vacation starting next weekend, don't we?"  
  
Sierra nodded, "Yeah. Why do you ask?"  
  
"Simply this," he replied, "If we can get away from the city, you know, someplace out in the country, we can work freely. The five of us can summon our full armors without calling unwanted attention and the four of you can get in tune with the full powers of our armors. We can come up with some defenses as well as attacks that we can use in the future. We can also find out just how well your Gifts and our armors mesh."  
  
After a moment, Jade spoke up. "Mama, Papa and my sibs are taking a trip to Florida for that weekend, she told me I could bring you three up and use their house while they're gone. I'm sure they won't mind if I bring five more people."  
  
Sierra's eyes widened, "That's perfect!!!" She smiled at Ryo, "The Fortuno's home is in the mountains in Maine. You can't fine a place much more secluded than that. As long as we don't cause any explosions, we shouldn't be bothered at all."  
  
Jade sprang for the phone, "I'll call now and let them know we'll be bringing extra people."  
  
~ * ~ * ~  
  
"Wow! Your parents' place is amazing!" Rowen exclaimed as they drove up to the large cabin a week later.  
  
Ryo grinned, "And it's far away from civilization. It's perfect for us to train."  
  
"While we're here, we could get in some real rock climbing," Sierra added to Ryo, "This place is great for rock climbing and hiking."  
  
"Not to mention being extremely isolated and romantic," Sage thought to himself, glancing at Cassidy out of the corner of his eye.  
  
"Sounds good. However, work first, play later. I'm definitely getting in some climbing while I'm here," Ryo said.  
  
"I'd like to join you guys when you go," Rowen added.  
  
By the time everyone unpacked and got settled in , it was late afternoon. Jade, Kento, Sai, Rowen and Ryo went out for a short hike through the forest around the cabin while Sierra made a trip back into the city to the airport. She had a surprise for Ryo that she had to get taken care of before the group got back to the cabin. He had seemed kind of lonely the last couple of days so she made a call to Toyama to arrange for Mia to have White Blaze flown to the Presque Isle airport. The cat was scheduled to arrive in about twenty minutes.  
  
A loud roar directed Sierra to the area of the airport that she was supposed pick up White Blaze. When she entered the small room, she found the large white tiger still in his large shipping crate and terrifying the two men in charge of taking care of him. "I'll take care of him from here," she said to the men. Both smiled with relief, handed her a clipboard with some papers she needed to sign and bolted out of the room. Ignoring the papers, she moved over to the cage and opened the front of it. White Blaze bounded out of it and tackled her to the floor.  
  
As White Blaze sniffed her shirt to identify her scent, the young woman laughed softly. "Hello cat," she said, scratching his ears. He lowered his head in pleasure. Suddenly he caught a scent that excited him. This strange person had Ryo's scent on her. He growled low in his throat, if his Ryo was in danger, he wouldn't hesitate to make this human show him where the warrior was.  
  
"Easy White Blaze," Sierra said, sensing his sudden wariness. "Ryo's perfectly safe. In fact, I had Mia send you over here so that you two could be together. We're gonna go see him now, okay luv?" She sighed with relief as White Blaze appeared to understand her. He climbed off of her and sat patiently. Sierra got up and found the clipboard. After signing the papers, she sat the clipboard on the crate for the two caretakers to find and walked out of the room, White Blaze following behind. The cat climbed eagerly into her Suburban and the pair headed back out into the country.  
  
As soon as she opened the door back at the cabin, White Blaze jumped out and took off into the woods in the direction that Jade, Ryo, Kento, Sai, and Rowen had left on their hike. "They must not be back yet," she thought to herself. Smiling softly, she went into the cabin, poured herself a cup of hot chocolate and joined Ariana and Cassidy on the back porch, enjoying the scenery. The sun was low in the sky and the mountains had turned to a deep orange color with the white of the snow showing through in some places. "It's so gorgeous," she said quietly.  
  
"I know. I love coming out here with you guys," Cassidy said, "I wish I could do it more often though. My classes take up so much time."  
  
"Hey Cass, just remember that you have a whole week to enjoy this," Ariana said, "We all get a break. And I have the same problem as you do. It's nice being in between plays like this."  
  
Cassidy grinned at Sierra, "So, how'd Operation Tiger go?"  
  
Sierra laughed, "White Blaze took off after their trail as soon as I let him out of the Suburban." A loud roar broke through the stillness of the early evening. "I guess he found Ryo," she added.  
  
"Oooh, he's gonna love you forever for this," Ariana teased, "You could probably get him to do just about anything for you. So, sis, what're your plans for Ryo's devotion?"  
  
Sierra raised an eyebrow, "Why, absolutely nothing. He doesn't owe me anything and I wouldn't hold it to him even if he did feel like he was in debt. Friends do things like this for each other. I knew he'd been missing White Blaze and I knew I could do something about it. Why should I expect repayment for it?"  
  
"I still think he wants you," Cassidy said, only half-joking. She poked Ariana, "Haven't you noticed the way he looks at her. He's totally sprung."  
  
"I think you're right Cass. He does like her," Ariana agreed, grinning at Sierra's slight blush.  
  
"You guys, he's not in love with me! He's very sweet but he's just a friend. Remember? My interests lay elsewhere."  
  
Cassidy grinned, "Oh yeah, that Alex guy. Have you seen him since that night?"  
  
Sierra shook her head, "No, but I only went to the Nightshade once last week. I probably missed him." She looked thoughtful, "I did have a dream about him the other night. It was…interesting."  
  
"Ooh, tell, tell!" Ariana said pleadingly.  
  
"No. I'm not telling you any details. I'm just going to say that I really want to see him again soon."  
  
Both knew Sierra wouldn't say anything, so they didn't press her. Instead, the two of them got up and went back into the house for some more hot chocolate, leaving her alone with her thoughts.  
  
Sierra got up and left the porch. She took a slightly hidden path that led to a secluded stream a ways from the house. Laying on her stomach on a large, flat rock, she took a handful of pebbles and tossed them one-by-one into the water. Actually, the dream she had had about Alex had been a little disturbing. She had never felt like that about any man. She usually kept her feelings well-guarded from strangers, yet she found herself being drawn to this one like a moth to a flame. She couldn't keep her thoughts from straying to him. "I hardly even know him," she said softly, "Why do I keep thinking about him?"  
  
Sighing, Sierra stood and stretched lazily. Hearing a sound behind her, she turned and  
  
found herself locked in a bear hug and being whirled around. She laughed breathlessly, "Put me down Ryo!"  
  
He sat her down gently, his arms still wrapped around her waist in a hug. "Thank you so much for bringing White Blaze. I've missed him so much Sierra," he said softly, grinning. He looked into her eyes, "I really owe you."  
  
Sierra closed her eyes, "Don't kiss me. Just don't." She felt him moving closer though, despite her silent pleas.  
  
A strange voice broke the spell, "Well, well, well Wildfire. I see you've found yourself quite a beautiful young lady."  
  
Sierra's eyes opened in surprise. Ryo had moved back and no longer had hold of her. Standing next to him were four strangers, one woman and three men. "Um, hi," she said softly.  
  
"Oh, Sierra, these four are here to help us. They helped us defeat Talpa and they're going to help us defeat Mikkos," Ryo said. He gestured to the woman, "This is Lady Kayura." He pointed to each of the three men, "And this is Dais, Cale, and Sekhmet. You guys, this is Sierra, one of the four witches I mentioned to you."  
  
"Nice to meet you, Sierra," Dais said, meeting her eyes, "And sorry to interrupt you, Ryo."  
  
Sierra smiled softly at the white-haired man. He seemed to understand her predicament and had spoken up to prevent it from happening. ~Thank you,~ she sent silently to him, ~I really appreciate your intervention.~  
  
~You are welcome, though I don't quite understand why you did not wish for it to happen. Ryo is a very kind and handsome young man,~ he replied, ~Ah, I shall not force my way into your business.~  
  
Sierra nodded almost imperceptibly as Cale took her hand and kissed the back. "It is very nice to meet such a lovely young lady," he said with a charming smile.  
  
She smiled back, just as sweetly and said softly, "Thank you Cale. Well, I suppose we should get back to the cabin so that you can meet my sisters. Besides, it's beginning to get dark." The others agreed and the group headed back to the house.  
  
**We have visitors,** Sierra sent to her sisters as they neared the house.  
  
**Are they cute?** Cassidy replied immediately.  
  
Sierra's answer was tinged with laughter, **Yes, quite. And very nice as well.** "I think I speak for all of us when I say I'm glad you've come to help," she said to Kayura, who was walking beside her.  
  
"Oh, it is not a problem. Mikkos is destroying the Netherworld, much like his brother did. I will not stand for it any longer. Actually it is us who should be thanking you and your sisters for offering your magic to help. Knowing how his magic works is going to be extremely useful. Are you sure about your decision to help? People may die."  
  
Sierra nodded, "This is the type of thing we swore to use our powers for. How could we, in good conscience, back out of it? There's no way. We are willing to make sacrifices to help the rest of the world. If one of us dies, we will be prepared to take up her responsibility. We will give our powers until we have none left to give."  
  
Kayura smiled sadly, "I hope you know what you are promising to sacrifice. It would be horrible to lose people such as you."  
  
~ * ~ * ~  
  
Three days later found Ryo and Sierra alone once again. They were the pair having the hardest time meshing their powers and were working away from the others to get it right.  
  
"What the hell is your problem, Sierra?!" Ryo growled, "This is going to require some type of physical contact to work."  
  
"I'm perfectly aware of that damn it! I'm just bothered by the fact that every time we get close, you try something," Sierra replied just as angrily. She fought hard to calm herself, "We have some issues to work out before we will ever be able to mesh Ryo."  
  
Ryo also calmed himself. "I know, I know."  
  
"Ryo, tell me how you feel about me," Sierra said, "I think I know but I want to hear it from you before I start assuming things."  
  
He looked away. "I don't know Sierra. I like you. A lot. I don't understand why you keep pulling away, I haven't done anything to offend you."  
  
Sierra's eyes softened, "I know and you haven't offended me, Ryo. I like you, too. But only as a good friend. I didn't know how to tell you without hurting your feelings. I can't change the way I feel about you and neither can you."  
  
"But I thought…" he started.  
  
"That I cared for you the same as you do me?" she finished, "Is this because of what I did with White Blaze?'  
  
He nodded but didn't speak.  
  
"I was afraid of that. Listen, I could sense your loneliness and that you missed him. I don't like it when my friends feel that way. I realized I could do something to help you so I did. That's why I brought White Blaze here. To help a friend, not to make you think I wanted a relationship with you. It was a gift from a friend is all," she explained. "I do think you're an absolutely amazing person, but I don't have romantic feelings for you. I'm sorry."  
  
Ryo took a deep breath and nodded. "I understand. I'm sorry for pressuring you Sierra. I didn't mean to. I hope you'll forgive me."  
  
Sierra smiled, "Of course I forgive you. How could I possibly not?" She hugged him tightly and he hugged back. She sighed inwardly when she felt no romantic expectations from him. It was a hug between friends, no strings attached. "I hope this doesn't mean we can't be friends," she said softly.  
  
He pulled back and grinned, "We'll never be anything less. I'm glad I know how you feel. It makes things easier on me as much as it does on you."  
  
Sierra stretched, "Well, are we ready to take a go at it?" She looked at him expectantly.  
  
Ryo nodded with a look of determination in his eyes. "I think we can do this," he said, "No, I know we can do this." He summoned his armor and waited patiently for Sierra to make her move.  
  
Sierra closed her eyes and concentrated on the magical energy that emanated from the Wildfire armor. At first, all she could "see" was a chaotic inferno, with no pattern to it whatsoever. She took a deep breath and stepped closer to Ryo with her eyes still closed. Ryo reached out and laced his fingers with hers. He did as she had told him earlier and concentrated on his armor's energy pattern as he knew it. Sierra continued focusing on Wildfire's energy and, as the time passed, the pattern slowly began to show itself. It was different from any other energy pattern that she had ever experienced.  
  
As the pattern became clearer, she began weaving her own energy shields into a pattern that completely complimented Ryo's. As she went farther along, the two patterns began to mesh. They came together more perfectly than either had anticipated, and the rush of energy released by the final matching channeled through the both of them in a fiery blaze.  
  
The two of them awoke about half an hour later. Ryo was no longer in his armor and Sierra was lying next to him on the ground with her head on his chest. Sierra raised her eyes to meet him. It wasn't even an effort to communicate with him silently. ~ That was amazing! ~ she sent to him, ~ I've never been so totally matched with someone before. ~  
  
~ Is this always what it's like for you to use magic? ~ Ryo asked, his mind still reeling from the aftershock of the power rush.  
  
~ It's usually much duller, ~ she replied, ~ This is far more advanced magic than I've done before. ~  
  
~ Do you think the others experienced the same thing? ~ he asked.  
  
Sierra thought about it for a moment. ~ No, I don't think so. Fire is the most "excitable" of the main forces. Water tends to act as a base, as well as earth. I don't think either of the other pairs will go through that. ~  
  
~ That makes sense. Oh wow, I'm still amazed by that. ~  
  
She laughed, ~ After working with my sisters and I for a while, you'll no longer be quite so excited by it. You do, of course, realize that now that our energy patterns have meshed, we'll be able to tell what the other is feeling. I'll know if you're in trouble and you'll know if I am. Meshing like that is a very intimate relationship between two people, the gift of empathy will be especially strong between us because the gift is already strong with me. ~  
  
~ Well, now that things are in the open between us, I don't think that should be a problem, ~ Ryo said.  
  
Sierra nodded. ~ Are you ready to head back to the house? I'm sure the others are going to send out a search party if we don't let 'em know we're alive soon. ~  
  
**Congratulations on meshing,** came a heartsend from Jade.  
  
**Felt that huh?**  
  
**Only a fraction of it. I wish I could have been in your shoes for that,** Jade replied, **Talk about a rush!**  
  
Sierra laughed. "Jade felt a fraction of the power rush between us. She said she wishes she could've been in my shoes," she explained when Ryo gave her a questioning look.  
  
Ryo stood and helped her to her feet. "So what all does this meshing mean as far as fighting Mikkos?" he asked  
  
"We'll be able to fight together, perfectly paired. We won't have to communicate our intentions in battle; we'll instinctively know what the other is planning," she answered as they began walking back to the house, "With the soul link between myself and my sisters, the nine of us will be in even closer contact than the five of you alone using your armor's telepathy. Beyond that, we'll learn as we go."  
  
"Sounds like a challenge I'm looking forward to," Ryo said with a grin.  
  
"That makes two of us Ryo." 


End file.
